Pennsylvania Smartweed
Polygonum pensylvanicum
Family: Polygonaceae
What it is like
Polygonum pensylvanicum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.7 m (2ft 4in). It is in flower from April to December. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.7
Where it is found
Waste ground in moist soils. Moist, disturbed places, ditches, riverbanks, cultivated fields, shorelines of ponds and reservoirs from sea level to 1800 metres
Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Ontario, Minnesota, Florida and Texas.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
An infusion of the plant tops has been used in the treatment of epilepsy. An infusion of the leaves has been used to treat haemorrhages of blood from the mouth and to aid postpartum healing. The leaves have been used as a wipe on the anus in treating bloody piles.
Epilepsy: Used in the treatment of Epilepsy - a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.
Other
Rating: 0
How it is grown
207058 222160
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in situ.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist